Shoe part reducing machines



Dec. 5, 1967 F. w. WETHERBEE 3,355,842

SHOE PART REDUCING MACHINES Fi led June 9, 1965 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Frank W Z Vezherbee By his Attorney Dec. 5, 1967 F. w. WETHERBEE SHOE PART REDUCING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 9, 1965 Dec. 5, 1967 F. w. WETHERBEE 3,355,842

SHOE PART REDUCING MACHINES Filed June 9, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 5, 1967 F. w. WETHERBEE SHOE PART REDUCING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 9, 1965 Dec. 5, 1967 F. w. WETHERBEE SHOE PART REDUCING MACHINES 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 9, 1965 Dec. 5, 1967 F. w. WETHERBEE 3,355,842

SHOE PART REDUCING MACHINES Filed June 9, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 United States Patent Ofiice 3,355,842 Patented Dec. 5, 1967 3,355,842 SHOE PART REDUCING MACHINES Frank W. Wetherbee, Hamilton, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, NJ., and Boston, Mass, a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 9, 1965, Ser. No. 462,661 6 Claims. (Cl. 51-135) This invention relates to apparatus for roughing or reducing the thickness of select portions of an article of manufacture and, more specifically, to apparatus for precisely positioning a shoe upper relative to sanding means whereby a prescribed amount of material may be removed from various, select portions of the toe area of the upper.

In the normal shoemaking procedure, the forepart or toe area of the shoe upper is roughed or sanded to ensure the adhesion of bonding material thereto whereby to facilitate attachment of the upper to the shoe bottom components. A further object of this sanding operation is to reduce the thickness of the upper material in the forepart or toe area whereby this portion of the upper may be folded over the bottom of the last. in the lasting operation without producing unsightly bulges at the feather line. Additionally, unless the thickness of the upper material is reduced in this area, the upper material in excess of that required to permit the attachment of the upper to the shoe bottom will interfere with or hamper the attaching operation as well as the lasting operation and will produce bulges in the shoe bottom which will result in discomfort to the wearer. In order to avoid such bulging of material at the feather line and to provide a minimum upper material thickness in the area to be attached to the shoe bottom, the forepart of the upper is sanded in such a way as to produce a tapered margin at the periphery of the toe area.

Heretofore, the sanding operation has been performed on a conventional sanding machine by manually placing the upper in contact therewith. Consequently, the configuration, depth, and position of the tapered margin was entirely dependent on the skill, dexterity and visual ob servations of the operator. As a result, uniformity in marginal configuration was essentially non-existent. Further, alert, highly skilled artisans were required to avoid a prohibitive number of unuseable. uppers due to improperly sanded margins. The very nature of the sanding operation additionally made it impossible for even the skilled artisan to avoid occasional errors. That is, the operator was required to place the upper in engagement with a sanding belt traveling at high speed at a precise angle with the proper amount and distribution of manually applied pressure.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide sanding apparatus having means for precisely positioning a shoe upper relative to the sanding instrumentalities.

To this end and in accordance with a 'featuref-of this invention, there is provided in a machine having instrumentalities for reducing the thickness of select portions of a shoe part; means for clamping the shoe part in fixed. orientation relative to the reducing instrumentalities comprising a clamping member movable between an inoperative position, a clamping position, and an operative position, a support member having a work supporting surface thereon movable between a clamping position and an operative position, and means normally biasing said support member into its clamping position, presser means associated with said clamping member for urging select portions of said shoe part into frictional engagement with said reducing instrumentalities, and means for moving said clamping member from the inoperative position into its clamping position wherein a shoe part positioned on said work supporting surface is clamped between the clamping member and support member in fixed orientation to said reducing instrumentalities and for thereafter unitan'ly moving said clamping member, support member, a shoe part clamped therebetween, and said presser means into operative relation to the reducing instrumentalities with the shoe part in the fixed orientation established at the clamping position.

The above and other features of the invention including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the machine embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be utilized in varied and numerous embodiments and applications without departing from the scope of this invention.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sanding machine having positioning apparatus embodying the invention associated therewith;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the positioning apparatus illus trated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the positioning apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with a shoe upper clamped in the positioning apparatus prior to positioning of the upper in operative engagement with the sanding means;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, similar to FIG. 4 with the shoe upper in operative engagement with sanding means;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the positioning apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the positioning apparatus in the inoperative position;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation similar to FIG. 5 on an enlarged scale with additional members in section;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the bottom or inside of a sanded upper;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic of the fluid system associated with the positioning apparatus illustrated generally in FIG. 1; and t FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the clamping member and support member of the positioning apparatus divorced from the appurtenant structure.

The shoe upper positioning apparatus or holddown positioning apparatus means, generally indicated by the reference character 2,

which constitutes the locus of this invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 in association with a conventional belt sanding machine having an endless sanding belt 10. As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holddown means 2 is pivotally mounted on a bracket 14 which is secured to the frame of the sanding machine whereby to permit adjustment of the relative location of the holddown means Z-With respect to the belt 10. That is, the entire upper-positioningassemblage or holddown means 2 is pivotally mounted on an elongated boss 12 integral with the bracket 14 by means of a bifurcated arm 16 extending from the main support frame 18 of the holddown.

means 2 and an elongated stud 20 which is slidingly received in apertures 22, 24 provided in the legs of the arm 16 and boss 12, respectively. The stud 20 is fixed in position by a set screw 28.

The holddown means 2 is normally biased in a clockwise direction about the line of pivotal movement established by the stud 20 by a spring 32 opposite ends of which are secured to pins 34, 36 located on the bracket 14 and an upstanding extension. 40 f. the main frame 18, respectively. Clockwise pivotal movement of the holddown means 2 is limited by engagement of a stud 44 threaded into the bracket 14 with a shoulder portion of the extension 40. The holddown means 2 is thus resiliently fixed. in a desired angular relation to the belt 10. The relative pivoted position of the holddown means may be altered by adjustment of the threaded stud 44 in the bracket 14.

An upper U to be sanded is initially clamped between a clamping member 50 and a support member 52 in a fixed angular relation to the sanding belt 10. The clamping member 50 and support member 52 are then unitarily moved into operative position, wherein the toe area of the upper is. pressed against the sanding belt at a pre-determined angle by a presser member 54, as hereinafter described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 11, the clamping member 50 essentially comprises a generally cupped shaped portion 58 having ears 60, 60 extending from opposite sides thereof. The ears 60, 60 are substantially cylindrical and have bores 62, 62 adapted slidingly to receive alinement shafts 64, 64 which are slidingly mounted in similar cylindrical ears or bosses 68, 68 located on opposite sides of the main frame 18. The clamping member 50 has a clamping surface 70 (FIGS. 4 to 7) disposed at. an acute angle to the sanding belt 10 which cooperates with a complementarily disposed support surface 72 on the support member 52 to support a shoe upper to be sanded in fixed orientation relative tothe sanding belt 10 in a manner hereinafter to be discussed.

The support member 52 comprises an essentially U- shaped portion 74 having upper and lower arms 76, 78 extending rearwardly, as viewed in FIGS. 1, 4 to 6 and 11 from each side thereof. The arms 76, 78 extending from a given side of the member 52 having. axially alined bores therein whereby the support member 52 may be mounted on the shafts 64, 64. As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 to 6, the. member 52 is mounted. on the shafts 64, 64. in. such manner that the ears 60, 60 of the clamping member 50 are interposed between. the arms 76, 78 on a given side ofthe member 52. The support member 52 is maintained in a fixed position on the shafts 64, 64 by stops 80, 80 secured to the lower ends of theshafts and engageable with the bottom of each of the lower arms 78, 78. The angle which the support surface 72 makes with the belt, 10 is thus. fixed.

The support member- 52 is normally maintained in. an upper, inoperative position determined by engagement of the. upper arms 76,. 76-with the, undersides of the bosses 68, 68 by springs 82, 82 interposed between the topsofthe bosses 68, 68 and stops86, 86 secured to. the upper ends of the shafts 64, 64. That. is, the springs 82, 82 normally urge the shafts 64, 64 upwardly and, thus, the support member 52 is urged into. the. defined upper, inoperative position by engagement ofv the. stops 80, 80 with the lower legs 78, 78 thereof. The action of. the. springs 82, 82 does not effect the positioningof the clamping member 50.

As shown in FIG. 3, the presser member 54 comprises a metal. plate 90 pivotally mounted on. arms 92, 92 extendingrearwardly, as viewedin FIG. 3, fromthe lower portionof the clamping member Stlhymeans of a pair of cars 94, 94 secured to the plate 9.0 and a rod 96 which is received in apertures provided in the arms 92, 92 and ears 94, 94. As discussedabove and hereinafter described in further detail, the presser member is employed to press thetoe area of an upper against the sanding belt 10 at a pre-determined angle whereby to produce a tapered margin by removing varying amounts of material from the margin of the upper. This is accomplished by positioning the pivotally mounted plate 90- in a precise angular relationship to the sanding belt 10 by adjustment of a pair of positioning. screws 98, 100 mounted on each side of the member 50.. The exact angular orientation of the presser member 54 may readily be altered by appropriate adjustment of the screws 98, 100.

The clamping member 50 is moved on the rods 64, 64 between an inoperative position (FIGS. 1, 2 and 6), an intermediate clamping position (FIG. 4), and an operative position (FIGS. 5 and 7) by a fluid driven two way piston 104 (FIG. 10) housed in a cylindrical housing 106 centrally mounted on the main frame 18. The application of pressure fluid to the piston104 is controlled by a treadle 110 (FIG. 1). Movement imparted to the piston 104 is translated to the member 50 through a drive rod 112 opposite ends of which are attached to the piston 1G4 and a bifurcated collar 116 (FIG. 2) which is secured to the member 50, said collar being removed from FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 for clarity.

The clamping member 50 is normally maintained in the inoperative position which is determined by engagement of the ears 6%), 60. with the upperv legs 76, 76 of the support member 52 by fluid pressure applied to the lower surface of the piston 104- through the line 120. When the treadle 110. is depressed, pressure fluid is applied through the line 122 to the upper surface of the piston 104 whereby the clamping member 58 is moved downwardly on the rods 64, 64 into engagement with an upper U located on the support surface 72 of the member 52, i.e. into the clamping position (FIG. 4). The upper is clamped in position between the surfaces 70, 72 of the members 50, 52 under the action of the fluid pressure applied through the piston rod 112 to the member 50 and the biasing action applied by the springs 82, 82 through the rods 64, 64 and stops 80, 80 to the member 52.

The clamping member 50, presser member 54 attached thereto, and support member 52, as Well as the upper, are thereafter progressed into operative relation to the sanding belt as a unit upon further displacement of the piston 104. The upper is securely clamped in position by the contra forces applied by the pressure fluid and the normal biasing action of the springs 82, 82. In the operative position, the marginal area of the upper to be sanded is pressed into contact with the sanding belt 10' by the presser member 54. Displacement of the. support member 52 and, therefore, of the clamping member, is limited by stops 120, 120 secured to the upper ends of. rods 122, 122 mounted in arms 76, 76 of the support member 52 and slidingly received in projections integral with the main frame13.

In the operation of the apparatus described an upper to be sanded is placed in position on the support surface 72 of the support member 52. In the preferred embodiment, precise positioning of the upper is facilitated by the, provision of an arcuate groove in. the clamping surface 70. of the clamping member 50- with which the throat 132 (FIG; 8) of the upper may be conveniently alined..However, any other convenient means for aiding positioning may be employed Without departing from the scope of this invention. The clamping member 50 is then moved into the intermediate clamping position by depression of the treadle 110. The operator must manually maintain the upper in position until it is engaged by the clamping member50. The upper is then urged into contact with the sanding belt 10 in the manner, described above.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for reducing the thickness of select portions of a shoe part having reducing instrumentalities; means for clamping a shoe part in fixed orientation relative to the reducing instrumentalities comprisinga clamping member movable between an inoperative position, a clamping position, and an operative position, a support member having a work supporting Surface thereon movable between a clamping position and an operative position, and means normally biasing said support member intoits clamping position, presser means associated II with said clamping member for urging select portions of said shoe part into frictional engagement with said reducing instrumentalities; and means formoving said clamping member from the inoperative position int-o its clamping position wherein the shoe part positioned on said work supporting surface is clamped between the clamping member and support member in fixed orientation to said reducing instrumentalities and for thereafter unitarily moving said clamping member, support member, the shoe part clamped therebetween, and said presser means into operative relation to the reducing instrumentalities with the shoe part in the fixed orientation established at the clamping position.

2. In a machine for reducing the thickness of select portions of a shoe part having reducing instrumentalities; means for clamping a shoe part in fixed orientation rela tive to the reducing instrumentalities comprising a clamping member movable between an inoperative position, a clamping position and an operative position, a support member having a work supporting surface thereon movable between a clamping position and an operative position, and means normally biasing said support member into its clamping position, presser means associated with said clamping member for urging select portions of said shoe part into frictional engagement with said reducing instrumentalities, means for adjusting the relative angular disposition of said presser means with respect to said reducing instrumentalities, and means for moving said clamping member from the inoperative position into its clamping position wherein the shoe part positioned on said work supporting surface is clamped between the clamping member and support member in fixed orientation to said reducing instrumentalities and for thereafter unitarily moving said clamping member, support member, the shoe part clamped therebetween, and said presser means into operative relation to the reducing instrumentalities with the shoe part in the fixed orientation established at the clamping position.

3. In a machine for reducing the thickness of select portions of a flexible shoe part having reducing instrumentalities means for clamping a shoe part in fixed orientation relative to the reducing instrumentalities comprising a clamping member movable toward and away from said reducing instrumentalities between an inoperative position, a clamping position, and an operative position, a support member having a work supporting surface thereon movable toward and away from said reducing instrumentalities in coplanarity with the movement of the clamping member between a clamping position and an operative position, means normally biasing said support member into its clamping position, and means normally urging said clamping member into the inoperative position, presser means pivotally mounted on said clamping member for urging select portions of said shoe part into frictional engagement with said reducing instrumentalities, means for adjusting the relative angular disposition of said presser means with respect to said reducing instrumentalities, and means for moving said clamping member from the inoperative position into its clamping position wherein the shoe part positioned on said work supporting surface is clamped between the clamping member and support member in fixed orientation to said reducing instrumentalities and for thereafter unitarily moving said clamping member, support member, the shoe part clamped therebetween, and said presser means into operative relation to the reducing instrumentalities with the shoe part in the fixed orientation established at the clamping position.

4. In a machine for reducing the thickness of select portions of a shoe part having reducing instrumentalities; means for clamping a shoe part in fixed orientation relative to the reducing instrumentalities comprising a clamping member movable toward and away from said reducing instrumentalities between an inoperative position, a clamping position, and an operative position, a support member having a work supporting surface thereon mov able toward and away from said reducing instrumentalities in coplanarity with the movement of the clamping member between a clamping position and an operative position, means normally biasing said support member into its clamping position, means normally urging said clamping member into the inoperative position, and means for moving said clamping member from the inoperative position into its clamping position wherein a shoe part positioned on said work supporting surface is clamped between the clamping member and support member in fixed orientation to said reducing instrumentalities and for thereafter unitarily moving said clamping member, support member, and a shoe part clamped therebetween into operative relation to the reducing instrumentalities with the shoe part in the fixed orientation established at the clamping position.

5. In a machine for reducing the thickness of select portions of a shoe part having reducing instrumentalities; means for clamping a shoe part in fixed orientation relative to the reducing instrumentalities and for introducing select portions of said shoe part to the reducing instrumentalities comprising a clamping member slidingly mounted on a plurality of alinement shafts for movement between an inoperative position, a clamping position, and an operative position, a support member having a work supporting surface thereon slidingly mounted on said shafts for movement between a clamping position and an operative position, means normally biasing said support member into its clamping position, means normally urging said clamping member into the inoperative position, and means for moving said clamping member from the inoperative position into its clamping position whereby the shoe part positioned on said work supporting surface is clamped between the clamping member and support member in fixed orientation to said reducing instrumentalities and for thereafter unitarily moving said clamping member, support member and the shoe part clamped therebetween into operative relation to the reducing instrumentalities with the shoe part in the fixed orientation established at the clamping position.

6. In a machine for reducing the thickness of select portions of a flexible shoe part having reducing instrumentalities; means for clamping a shoe part .in fixed orientation relative to the reducing instrumentalities and for introducing select portions of said shoe part to the reducing instrumentalities comprising a clamping member slidingly mounted on a plurality of alinement shafts for movement between an inoperative position, a clamping position, and an operative position, a support member having a work supporting surface thereon slidingly mounted on said shafts for movement between a clamping position and an operative position, means normally biasing said support member into its clamping position, means normally urging said clamping member into its inoperative position, presser means pivotally mounted on said clamping member for urging select portions of said shoe part into frictional engagement with said reducing instrumentalities, means for adjusting the relative angular disposition of said presser means with respect to said reducing instrumentalities, and means for moving said clamping member from the inoperative position into its clamping position wherein a shoe part positioned on said work supporting surface is clamped between the clamping member and support, memher in fixed orientation to said reducing instrumentalities and for thereafter unitarily moving said clamping member, support member, the shoe part clamped therebetween, and said presser means into operative relation to the reducing instrumentalities with the shoe part in the fixed orientation established at the clamping position.

(References on following page) 7 8 References Cited 1,964,043 6/ 1934 Duplessis 5113 7 q 1,983,591 12/1934 Bazzoni 51 -4 35 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,375,604 5/1945 Williams 51-435 832,861; 1 0/1906 Joy 51-92. 1,7 3,774 1930 Gordon 51 7 5 ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner. 1,901,463 3/ 1-933 Louviaux 51217 DONALD G. KELLY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR REDUCING THE THICKNESS OF SELECT PORTIONS OF A SHOE PART HAVING REDUCING INSTRUMENTALITIES; MEANS FOR CLAMPING A SHOE PART IN FIXED ORIENTATION RELATIVE TO THE REDUCING INSTRUMENTALITIES COMPRISING A CLAMPING MEMBER MOVABLE BETWEEN AN INOPERATIVE POSITION, A CLAMPING POSITION, AND AN OPERATIVE POSITION, A SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING A WORK SUPPORTING SURFACE THEREON MOVABLE BETWEEN A CLAMPING POSITION AND AN OPERATIVE POSITION, AND MEANS NORMALLY BIASING SAID SUPPORT MEMBER INTO ITS CLAMPING POSITION, PRESSER MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CLAMPING MEMBER FOR URGING SELECT PORTIONS OF SAID SHOE PART INTO FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID REDUCING INSTRUMENTALITIES; AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CLAMPING MEMBER FROM THE INOPERATIVE POSITION INTO ITS CLAMPING POSITION WHEREIN THE SHOE PART POSITIONED ON SAID WORK SUPPORTING SURFACE IS CLAMPED BETWEEN THE CLAMPING MEMBER AND SUPPORT MEMBER IN FIXED ORIENTATION TO SAID REDUCING INSTRUMENTALITIES AND FOR THEREAFTER UNITARILY MOVING SAID CLAMPING MEMBER, AND SAID PRESSER THE SHOE PART CLAMPED THEREBETWEEN, AND SAID PRESSER MEANS INTO OPERATIVE RELATION TO THE REDUCING INSTRUMENTALITIES WITH THE SHOE PART IN THE FIXED ORIENTATION ESTABLISHED AT THE CLAMPING POSITION. 